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Prayer and Spirituality

 

Spirituality

Collective worship offers a valuable space for spiritual exploration, but it's important to recognise that spirituality encompasses much more than this. Our lives are filled with diverse spiritual experiences that extend beyond the boundaries of collective worship. These experiences can include reflection on art, the beauty of nature, or even the simple sensation of wind on our cheeks. Spiritual reflection can also be found in religious practices such as prayer or contemplating the wonders of creation.  It's essential to embrace the wide spectrum of spiritual encounters that enrich our lives.

We foster children's spiritual growth through various aspects of our provision. We prioritise building strong relationships based on our school Vision and Values, alongside the development of knowledge, concepts, skills, and attitudes. Children are given opportunities to:

  • Contribute positively to the lives of others through participating in Macmillan Coffee Mornings, supporting the local food bank, Comic Relief, Children in Need and our Pupil Parliament.
  • Engage in moments of quiet reflection during the day, such as listening to stories, participating in worship by lighting candles, listening to music, reflecting on daily themes, utilising designated reflection areas and regulation stations, and engaging in prayers and mindful moments throughout the day e.g. before lunch and end of the day.
  • Recognise and express their emotions using the Zones of Regulation and Regulation Stations.
  • Express creativity and imagination through our lessons, sharing of experiences and extra-curricular activities.
  • Participate in singing during lessons, worship and church festival events such as the Carol service, Easter service and Founder’s day service.
  • Explore, express, share, reflect on and compare feelings and opinions, integrated into all subjects across the curriculum, with a more concentrated focus during Jigsaw lessons, worship, and RE lessons.
  • Engage in a behaviour curriculum which allows pupils to reflect on their choices and feelings and resolve conflict effectively.
  • Emphasise the significance of relationships and effective communication.
  • Express wonder, appreciate beauty in various forms, and acknowledge connections and unity in the world.
  • Promote a culture where admitting and rectifying mistakes is encouraged, fostering personal growth and learning from experiences.
  • Encourage acts of care, kindness, and compassion, demonstrated through daily interactions, charitable endeavours, and prayer spaces.
  • Engage with profound questions, particularly through the curriculum, worship, current events, and nurture sessions.
  • Encourage regular reading, providing opportunities for discussions and reflections on both secular and religious texts, including the Bible.
  • Begin to formulate their own belief systems, whether religious or secular.
  • Reflect on others' experiences through role-playing and storytelling activities.
  • Observe modelling of how to show empathy, understanding, love and compassion.
  • Engage with the natural environment across the curriculum.
  • Engage in extracurricular music activities.
  • Engage in world events and reflect on how these impact our lives.
  • Acknowledge individuality through celebration of achievements both inside and outside of school (SATs week celebration, Collective Worship awards, Founder’s Day Awards).
  • Celebrate everyone’s differences through work surrounding our vision, ‘Everyone Matters,’ and how it means to feel accepted as mentioned in the C of E’s guidance, ‘Valuing All of God’s Children, 2019.
  • Engage with individuals who may view spirituality differently and begin to understand their thoughts and feelings.
  • Experience awe and wonder through visitors, trips and curriculum enhancements.
  • Explore ‘big questions’ across the curriculum through enquiry based learning.

Prayers

Our School Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank you for helping us to understand respect from your teachings in the bible.  We will use your words to help us to show respect to the people around us.

Thank you for helping us be resilient by challenging us to be better and supporting us when times are tough.

We will learn to love each other and ourselves and treat one another as we want to be treated.  

Thank you for reminding us that Everyone Matters and that every good action and every gift is from God.

Amen

 

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on Earth,

As it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses.

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

The power and the glory,

Forever and ever.

Amen

 

 Lunchtime Prayer

For what we are about to receive,

May the lord make us truly thankful.

Amen

 

 End of day Prayer

We close our eyes and softly say,

Thank you Lord for school today.

Amen

 

 Creating prayers

To support our children in creating their own prayers as part of Collective Worship or for themselves we discuss the following structure:

 

spirituality policy nov 2024 docx.pdf